Mr. Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project and a member at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, shared with Newsweek that there is some information about the Chinese military’s new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft – known as the KJ-3000 – that can detect stealth aircraft.
A man walks in front of a KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft of Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation (China)
The ability to detect stealth aircraft could give China a significant advantage and could complicate the ability of the United States to project air power across the Western Pacific, Swope added.
The KJ-3000 has a design based on the Y-20B transport aircraft. In December, photos of this plane’s first flight spread quickly on social networks.
According to the military aviation website The Aviationistthe KJ-3000 serves as the “eyes and ears” in the air, designed to detect aircraft and cruise missiles and provide comprehensive information about the scene in real time. It is expected that the KJ-3000 will have a dome containing a radar antenna, providing 360-degree coverage.
In its 2024 report on China’s military power, the Pentagon said China operates three types of AEW&C aircraft including KJ-200, KJ-500 and KJ-2000. These devices enhance the ability to detect, track and target threats in a variety of conditions at high volumes and at longer distances.
A Chinese KJ-200 surveillance aircraft
Kitsch Liao at the Atlantic Council told Newsweek that the KJ-3000 could expand the Chinese air force’s power projection capabilities beyond the first island chain.
Equipped with advanced radar and sensors and a longer flight time, the KJ-3000 is superior to previous generations and allows China to track enemy equipment at long distances, Mr. David Cenciotti – editor of The Aviationist judgment. Mr. Cenciotti assessed that the development of modern AEW&C aircraft, advanced missiles and stealth fighters is part of Beijing’s strategy to expand military operations at long distances, while challenging aware of threats.
“Compared to the KJ-500 propeller aircraft, the KJ-3000 can move into the combat area faster and has better operating range,” said Bill Sweetman, a veteran aerospace journalist and expert in aviation. industry expert told Newsweek. KJ-3000 is equipped with 4 turbofan engines. Sweetman said the aircraft can track targets at long ranges with enough precision to guide long-range anti-aircraft weapons, whether launched from fighter jets, warships or the ground.
Currently, the US military currently owns a number of stealth aircraft such as F-22 and F-35 fighters and B-2 and B-21 bombers. These types of aircraft use low-observability technology, also known as stealth technology, which is less detectable by radar.
